KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 – The man at the centre of a raging quarrel between MIC and Umno for wanting to hang a garland of slippers on a photograph of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is nonchalant about the storm he has sparked.
Peter Sugumaran, 56, the deputy head of the Paya Besar MIC division in Kuantan, Pahang, told The Malaysian Insider by telephone today that he was deeply hurt by Tun Mahathir’s criticism of MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.
“I was deeply hurt when Tun said Datuk Seri (Samy Vellu) had done nothing for the Indian community,” Sugumaran said. “It is Tun who had done nothing for us. Datuk Seri has done so much for us.”
”I admit I was carried away by emotions when I stood before the delegates. It was a big hall and there were so many people…I had to say something important,” Sugumaran said by telephone.
“I agree I have to apologised to Tun but I have to work it out in a proper manner, perhaps in a face to face meeting,” said Sugumaran, a balding, thick-set, bespectacled delegate.
He asked that his photograph was not published as a condition for talking to The Malaysian Insider. “I have this problem with my mouth…sometimes I get carried away and over speak,” he said.
Sugumaran works in a giant utility company and had faced several disciplinary hearings at work and was demoted for speaking up vocally on certain matters. “I always speak up and get hurt,” he said.
Current Sugumaran is on a better footing with the utility company although there had been rough patches.
The company is helping out with his medical problems and he is careful to watch what he says about company affairs.
Married with two grown up children, Sugumaran suffers from a slip disc and needs constant care. He is also involved in a tussle with Socso for help over the ailment.
He blames his latest controversy on his love for politics in India from where he took the idea of a garland of slippers.
There the “garland of slippers” phrase is used metaphorically and accepted universally as meaning unhappiness or dissatisfaction with someone.
“It is a common phase and when I was speaking about the problems faced by the Indian community and how the government has done little in the past 20 years, the phrase suddenly leaped to my mind,” Sugumaran said.
“Without a second thought I uttered the phrase,” he said. “It is not meant to be understood literally or seriously…I hope people understand this.”
Sugumaran said he has received numerous telephone calls including from the Special Branch and MIC leaders.
“I called Datuk Seri (Samy Vellu) and I apologised to him for getting him into trouble,” Sugumaran said. “Datuk Seri advuised be to remain cool and not get worked up and watch my health.”
“Datuk Seri is a great man,” Sugumaran said admitting he is Samy Vellu’s diehard supporter. “He dominates my life.”
Umno leaders and Malay NGOs have been castigating Samy Vellu and Sugumaran, demanding the party president offer a personal apology to Dr Mahathir, who had criticized Samy Vellu and urged delegates to support arch rival Datuk S. Subramaniam, in the run-up to the Sept 12 MIC elections.
Samy Vellu had returned the favour by slamming Dr Mahathir and Subramaniam and worked to deflect their criticisms.
In the end Samy Vellu’s team romped home in the party polls, defeating Subramaniam and his entire line-up.
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